{"id":7075,"date":"2016-12-01T23:47:59","date_gmt":"2016-12-01T23:47:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/fixmyinfo.com\/?p=7075"},"modified":"2016-12-01T23:50:38","modified_gmt":"2016-12-01T23:50:38","slug":"consumer-citations-future-local-seo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fixmyinfo.com\/consumer-citations-future-local-seo\/","title":{"rendered":"Consumer citations are the future of local SEO"},"content":{"rendered":"

What are citations, and how do they impact local SEO?<\/h2>\n

SEL Columnist Julian Connors explains in this beginner-level local search column.<\/a><\/h5>\n

In the world of search engine optimization (SEO), a citation is a direct mention of a specific brand within an online platform. Some of the more\u00a0common examples of online citations are comments published within a community blog about a\u00a0favorite local coffee shop or an unpleasant\u00a0experience working with a franchise outlet.<\/p>\n

Citations serve as contextual forms of content that are recognized and indexed by search crawlers.\u00a0On a local level, citations have the ability to\u00a0improve organic visibility\u00a0for small businesses and community brands alike.<\/p>\n

Consumers mentioning a local brand within\u00a0an online platform can offer a number of benefits that ultimately allow small businesses to increase their visibility\u00a0within each major search engine.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s why.<\/p>\n

Citations help search engines attribute value<\/h2>\n

Google and other major search engines have designed their\u00a0algorithms to be able to detect and attribute value based on the type of messaging that surrounds a brand.<\/p>\n

When online consumers publish content in the form of comments or reviews, search engines are able to crawl this information and use it to help them assess how valuable a particular business is\u00a0for other like-minded consumers.<\/p>\n

Citations\u00a0support online conversions<\/h2>\n

When local businesses provide experiences that elicit positive online reviews, they can catalyze word-of-mouth marketing across social networks and other user-generated content websites.<\/p>\n

Online\u00a0consumers are more likely to engage with a local business if they have attracted positive reviews from other like-minded consumers.\u00a0In fact,\u00a074 percent of consumers say that positive reviews make them trust a local business more, according to a recent report offered\u00a0by BrightLocal<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"screen-shot-2016-11-24-at-10-46-44-pm-600x363\"<\/p>\n

Businesses can earn positive reviews or citations by continuously providing an experience that aligns with the intentions of the target\u00a0audience and satisfies their specific needs.<\/p>\n

Search engines understand structured citations<\/h2>\n

Structured citations are\u00a0fundamental points of information about a business that include their name, address and phone number. Most local SEO strategists refer to this as \u201cNAP.\u201d<\/p>\n

Maintaining current\u00a0NAP information and ensuring that details are in sync across all existing platforms is important for search engines and their ability to provide\u00a0consumers a meaningful\u00a0experience.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"screen-shot-2016-11-24-at-10-59-16-pm\"As seen above, structured citations often provide\u00a0consumers with unique information that allows them to understand how they should react next. Although most JCPenney locations are open on Thanksgiving Day, this particular store was not, which is clearly noted because of how well they maintain\u00a0their NAP information.<\/p>\n

Unstructured citations\u00a0provide the same points of information about a particular business, only they are not consistent with one another. In the screen shots below, the business\u2019s information is correct; it\u2019s just not in sync.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

 <\/p>\n

Image referenced from Razorlight Media Inc. on November 24, 2016<\/em><\/p>\n

The two different phone numbers appear\u00a0because this business is using call tracking numbers to help them track their leads and understand where their marketing budget should be allocated.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

From an SEO perspective, the issue with having different\u00a0forms of contact information indexed is that it can disrupt the ability to achieve positive results within local search listings.\u00a0If search engines are unable to understand what \u00a0type of information they should provide to consumers, they are more likely to pull content from a competitor whose NAP information is correct and in sync across all existing platforms.<\/p>\n

Citations\u00a0complement other traditional SEO factors<\/h2>\n

Local online\u00a0success is all about crossing off every possible SEO checkbox that exists. When small businesses take the time to build a solid SEO foundation and maintain a healthy domain, citations can\u00a0serve as a catalyst for driving results.<\/p>\n

The organic equity\u00a0of any website serves as a critical component for determining how well a\u00a0business ranks within local search results. When small businesses are able to create and maintain an online presence that supports a competitive domain authority, citations can serve as the extra\u00a0element\u00a0that allows them to overcome competitors that may have a well-optimized website but lack references that help search engines determine their true value.<\/p>\n

Citations just make sense for local SEO<\/h2>\n

Considering that search engines ultimately care about connecting online consumers with the most rewarding experiences, it makes complete sense that they would leverage citations to better interpret\u00a0brand value. Why wouldn\u2019t they?<\/p>\n

Although traditional links are still one of the most\u00a0influential tactics for improving competitive keyword rankings, citations could possibly become just as impactful based on the continued evolution of Google\u2019s Hummingbird and the ability for search engines to extract meaning from individual words used within a complete phrase.<\/p>\n

Originally published at Search Engine Land – click here for more.<\/em><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What are citations, and how do they impact local SEO? SEL Columnist Julian Connors explains in this beginner-level local search column. In the world of search engine optimization (SEO), a citation is a direct mention of a specific brand within an online platform. Some of the more\u00a0common examples of online citations are comments published within … Read moreConsumer citations are the future of local SEO<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7076,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/fixmyinfo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/local-marketing_295688708-ss-1920.jpg","yoast_head":"\nConsumer citations are the future of local SEO local -<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"local search, listings, seo, online marketing, fix listing, add listing, nap, google local, yahoo local, find business\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/fixmyinfo.com\/consumer-citations-future-local-seo\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Consumer citations are the future of local SEO local -\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"local search, listings, seo, online marketing, fix listing, add listing, nap, google local, yahoo local, find business\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/fixmyinfo.com\/consumer-citations-future-local-seo\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"FixMyInfo - 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